As the head of the Zhong family was pondering where the Yun family came from, he suddenly remembered that the steward had previously sent Chi'an's men to teach those refugees in Longtan a lesson.
"Could it be that Longtan led his men to wipe out all the bandits in Chi'an?"
Mr. He, who always valued harmony, was startled. "Wouldn't we have offended them?"
“Since we have already offended them, we will not offend them again in the future.” The head of the Zhong family said very straightforwardly, “They were the ones who detained my Zhong family guards without permission first, and then incited the people under my jurisdiction to leave and seek refuge in Longtan.”
The more the Zhong family head spoke, the more convinced he became of his own reasoning.
"In the future, we must act expediently when dealing with superiors."
Mr. He was not as optimistic as the Zhong family head. The refugees who fled from the north had made such a big move in Longtan in just half a year, so they must not be ordinary people.
The bandits on the mountain were easy to defend and difficult to attack, and each of them was incredibly strong. How did they manage to wipe them out in one fell swoop?
The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He wanted to persuade the head of the family again, but the head of the family waved his hand.
"Go ahead and do your work; some things will come eventually."
After Mr. He left, the head of the Zhong family stood up from his chair, walked to the window, and murmured, "It's time for the South to be thrown into chaos."
Longtan
After taking a break and finishing all the necessary tasks, Lin Yinan decided to skip going to the county government office and instead watched Yun Shijiu with her mother, her eldest sister-in-law, her second sister-in-law, and Yun Ying making New Year's snacks.
Lin Yisong rushed in, "Sister, Brother Yunzhi wants to extract sugarcane residue from the sugar factory, so he asked me to tell you."
"What does he want to do with it?" Lin Yinan looked up at him in confusion.
Sugarcane residue cannot be fed to livestock; it was originally used for fuel.
Lin Yisong said, "Yunzhi said it's for making paper."
"He can make paper?"
"I don't know, he said he'd try to see if he could succeed," Lin Yisong said, shaking his head.
Lin Yinan handed Yun Shijiu to Qianwu, who was eating non-stop next to her.
"Let's go take a look."
When the two arrived at the sugar factory, they saw Su Yunzhi and Zhou Linzhao sitting on the steps without any regard for their image, each holding a sugarcane and munching on it.
Upon seeing Lin Yinan arrive, the two stood up from the ground.
"Anan, what brings you here?" Su Yunzhi smiled a little embarrassedly.
"Ah Song said you want to use sugarcane residue to make paper?" Lin Yinan asked directly.
Su Yunzhi nodded upon hearing this, "Let's go inside and talk."
The sugar mill had already finished processing all the sugarcane, and there was no one inside. The yard was filled with drying sugarcane residue.
Lin Yinan looked around the yard. There wasn't much grain extracted, but there was a lot of sugarcane residue. This residue was to be dried and taken to the canteen for cooking.
"Are you sure these can be used to make paper?" Lin Yinan asked.
Although holding a half-eaten sugarcane seemed a bit out of place, it did nothing to diminish Su Yunzhi's gentle and refined demeanor.
He said gently, "I saw it in an old book at home. Whether it will work or not, we'll have to try it to find out."
"What do you need to prepare? I'll find some people to help you," Lin Yinan said readily.
It would be great if you could make it, but it's okay if you can't; just consider it as gaining more experience.
"You agreed? What if it doesn't work out?" Su Yunzhi was taken aback for a moment. Did A'nan trust him that much?
Lin Yinan didn't want him to feel guilty. "Nothing is ever successful on the first try. You'll get better if you try a few more times."
Su Yunzhi nodded gratefully, “I need a spacious house with several pools inside, and I also need some people to help me crush this sugarcane pulp.”
"Okay, I'll have Qingxiang come over later. Just tell him what you need for the house."
The two discussed in detail the tools and processes required for papermaking.
Dust billowed outside the city gate.
The sharp-eyed guards on the city wall's watchtower were the first to spot the approaching group as Yun Mo and his companions, who had gone out to suppress bandits.
"Second Master! It's Second Master and the others who are back!"
"Second Master is back!" The shouts carried far.
Yun Mo rode on horseback, galloping wildly, and only stopped when he reached the wide-open city gate.
He dismounted gracefully and looked at the large crowd that had come to him. He glanced at the crowd and saw Qianwu holding Yun Shijiu, but he didn't see the person he had been longing for day and night.
Yunying stepped forward and looked him up and down. Seeing that he was not injured, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Second brother, you're finally back."
Yun Mo reached out and pinched her slightly round cheek. "Hmm, where's your third sister-in-law?"
Yunying peeked back, but didn't see Yun Er's figure, and felt a little disappointed.
"Young Master Su said that sugarcane residue can be used to make paper, and Second Sister-in-law said that sugar can be pressed into a factory."
"Yun Er is in the carriage behind, and he was slightly injured."
After he finished speaking, he took Yun Shijiu from Qianwu's arms and lightly jumped onto the horse's back. Yun Shijiu, who was about to cry, immediately started to giggle.
"Nineteen, go find your mother with your father." Yun Mo spurred his horse and rode off towards the sugar factory.
When Yunmu rushed over, she immediately understood: this boy was good in every way except that he was too clingy to his wife.
The father and daughter rode their horses to the sugar factory. Lin Yinan and Su Yunzhi had finished their conversation and were walking out, chatting and laughing.
As soon as Lin Yinan stepped out of the gate, she saw the father and daughter riding towards her.
Seeing her looking at him, Yun Mo's eyes lit up with starlight, making his tired and haggard face shine, and his whole being instantly brought to life.
Yun Shijiu clapped her hands happily and giggled.
"When did you get back?" Lin Yinan raised her chin slightly, a faint smile on her face.
Yun Mo carried Yun Shijiu down from the horse and glanced at Su Yunzhi following behind her. Even though he was thin, he was still handsome and elegant.
His eyes caught sight of the hands holding his daughter, their fingernails stained black, and his body reeking of sourness. His unkempt beard contrasted sharply with his fair, lovely, and fragrant daughter, and he felt a pang of shame.
Chao Su Yunzhi nodded slightly, and Yun Mo used his daughter as an excuse, "Nineteen just cried, so I brought her to see you."
Yun Shijiu danced with excitement, and Lin Yinan couldn't see any trace of her crying on her face, so she didn't expose him.
"They're probably hungry," Lin Yinan said softly.
She took Yun Shijiu from her and turned to Su Yunzhi, saying, "Just do as we said. I'll have Uncle Qingxiang come find you. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Su Yunzhi smiled and said in a gentler voice, "Okay, I'll let you know if you need anything."
Lin Yinan carried Yun Shijiu back, while Yun Mo gave Su Yunzhi a smug smile and followed behind her with his horse.
Su Yun subconsciously picked up the sugarcane in her hand, put it in her mouth, and took a bite. It was sweet with a hint of bitterness. It turned out that the taste of sugarcane could change depending on one's state of mind.
Zhou Linzhao stood behind him silently, watching him for a long time before saying, "Yunzhi, you will meet a girl who is even better than her."
Su Yunzhi smiled but remained silent, knowing in her heart that it was probably impossible for her to do so in this lifetime.
Reaching the street corner, Yun Mo said, "A'nan, get on your horse quickly, I'll take you to see the good things we brought back."
The sugar mill was quite far from the county government office. Lin Yinan carried Yun Shijiu and, with Yun Mo's help, mounted the horse. Yun Mo then leaped onto the horse and sat close behind her.
Yun Shijiu started waving her arms and legs restlessly again, making little noises.
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